Princess Louisa Bound
Sunday morning, we move north to Pender Harbor as we get ready for our journey to Princess Louisa Inlet on Monday morning. We tucked into Garrens Bay, a large bay with a mud buttom and lots of room to swing. It rained the whole trip and pretty much the whole day and we were praying for some blue skies and sun at Princess Louisa. We took a short trip to shore and walked a half mile to a local mexican restaurant. It wasn't great food but was a change of pace, even in the rain.
Monday morning, time to start the trek east. Wind and current was up a bit in Malaspina Strait as we round the corner into Agamemnon Channel but it didn't take long for those tall cliffs to shield us from the wind. After passing the intersection of Jervis and Sechelt, there are three legs called Prince of Wales Reach, Princess Royal Reach and Queens Reach. On the map, it looks so narrow, but in reality it is about 2 miles wide.
The canyons are huge and the scenery is spectacular. The water falls were everywhere and it is hard to describe all the different shades of green but it is spring. We also encountered a special treat - Orcas in the strait, so very fun.
A first for us.... It was cloudy and cold in the canyons and we were just too cold to be up top. So, for the first time ever, we piloted from the lower helm. The auto-pilot has a remote so it was easy. We were going slow enough I didn't have any trouble seeing the water ahead and easily maneuvered around the logs and debree in the water. It was a very pleasant experience and with the engine heater on, we stayed nice and warm. We will do this again.
There was still ice and snow on the cliffs giving them a matted appearance. A picture just doesn’t do it justice. We arrived at Malibu Rapids with 3 other boats an hour ahead of slack tide. This gave us plenty of time to get the Trophy ready and just drift and take in the sights. It's better to be early than late.
Distance was approximately 53 miles from Garrens Bay to Malibu Rapids, and our travel time was almost 5 hours exactly at 1300 RPM doing 8 knots.
With spring run off, the slack wasn't quite as calm as one would expect. We chose to be the last boat through as we had the Trophy to care for. Current was running about 3 knots and we didn't have any issue. There was 1 sailboat among us and their entry was a bit dicey, but they made it through.
Words will never do justice but I truly believe Keith was God's favorite. The clouds dispursed to reveal blue sky and sun and it stayed that way the rest of the day. It was warm, no wind, water was flat calm.
From the rapids, it is about 4 miles to the back of the inlet and the famous Chatterbox Falls. We were just in awe as we journeyed back, there were more waterfalls than one can count.
As we made the dog leg turn at the back of the inlet, we witnessed a spectacular ice dam break and watched tons of water cascade down the mountain side like a flood. It was so big, I wondered if it was going to have an effect on the dock area below. Gratefully, it did not, but the falls were super full the rest of the afternoon.
We tie up at the end of a very long dock with 2 other boats and head out for a short hike to the falls. The sun is shining, weather is cool, the water looks like a mirror and there are soft fluffy clouds above. The falls were so full of water, especially from the ice dam break, and the roar so loud you couldn’t hear one another speak. It was a long trek, but an amazing and perfect day…. so very worth it.
One of our dock mates was a couple out of Sidney BC, Malcom and Susan. We so enjoyed chatting with them through the day and learning about all their travels and their recommendations for destinations we must see. Malcom has been sailing since he was a teenager and he is now 87 but didn’t look a day over 70. They were both amazing and we loved our time with them.
There is a long dock and several bouys - we chose the end of the dock with a prime view of the falls and the open bay behind us. Rumor has it 18 more boats are coming from the Sidney Yacht Club on Wednesday. Timing is everything they say!
Tuesday morning started with some blue sky that covered over with high clouds. The sun played peek-a-boo several times and it was a comfortable day. With no cell service, life slows way down. We spent time working on projects, making yummy treats, chatting with our dock mates, and reading. Keith's goal was to get one of the downrigger platforms installed on the Trophy and he was successful.
The cavalry arrived from two different yacht clubs. There were 27 boats in total and almost 20 on the dock alone. It was a hoot watching everyone maneuver around to get as many on the dock and rafted as they could. Info from the outsiders, a bad storm coming through on Wednesday so everyone was enjoying the beautiful day and getting ready to hunker down.
Wednesday morning welcomed us with rain and a high blanket of fog obscuring the mountain tops. The plan was to head out on Thursday morning, so I spent time plotting our next course. Keith doesn't relish working on the Trophy in the rain so he put in a movie and spent his down time kicked back. 'Thank you dad for the contribution to our movie stash.' It's fun to watch these old movies and remind us of a very different time see all the changes from our current day technology.
It rained all day long and only those with dogs ventured from the warmth and dryness of their boats until evening. We made one last walk over to the falls, just to get some air. The falls were less ferocious and we didn’t get soaked standing on the cliff to watch. This is the root of a cedar tree that was toppled in a storm this past winter. It was massive and smelled amazing.
The group gathered for a bon fire in cabana/hut and roasted hot dogs and marshmellows… love those yacht club events. We opted to head back to the boat but thanked them for including us.
Thursday morning… mass exodus as we all headed for the slack tide first thing in the morning. We were the first ones through and it was an easy passing… until our tow rope broke just outside the passage. We quickly turned around to rescue the Trophy and then off we went. It was a beautiful trek back.
We made a quick stop at Egmont to fuel up and then on to Ballet Bay for the night. Water in Malispina Strait was pretty nasty so we got knocked around a bit as we made the turn into the Blind Bay. It was calm at Ballet and we had another successful stern tie and a restful sleep. Plans are to head to Desolation Sound the next morning…. Let’s see how that turned out!